Lisa Preuss’ journey with breast cancer began unexpectedly at age 31. With no family history and being so young, her diagnosis came as a shock.

It started with a lump she discovered while showering. Concerned, she made an appointment with her primary care doctor, who reassured her that do to her age and no family history of breast cancer, it was likely a benign fibroid cyst. These cysts are common in young women and aren’t cancerous.

But just to be sure, she was referred to Dr. Rand Stolee a general surgeon at Perham Health who has since retired.

Dr. Stolee also thought Lisa’s lump was probably benign. However, when he attempted to drain the lump he found that it was solid. He decided to do a biopsy and send a small sample of the lump to the lab for diagnosis.

Lisa & Team at the 2012 Relay for Life.

The lab results revealed the news no one expected: Lisa had breast cancer. Lisa’s children were very young at the time—just 2 and 4 years old—and her first thought upon hearing the diagnosis were of them. She remembers telling Dr. Stolee, “I can’t have cancer, I’m a mom.” Dr. Stolee reassured her that they would do everything possible to make sure she would be there for her kids.

“Dr. Stolee was so kind. He understood that the diagnosis was a shock and that I couldn’t hear anything after he said I had cancer. He made a special follow up appointment the next day to ensure that I understood the diagnosis and to answer my questions. I really appreciated that,” remembered Lisa.

The diagnosis was early, at stage one, and Lisa considers herself lucky that she was listened to and that the smaller of two lumps was pushing the larger one to the surface, allowing her to feel it. Her cancer was an aggressive type, known as triple-negative breast cancer, which often requires equally aggressive treatment.

Lisa’s treatment plan included a lumpectomy, which was done locally in Perham, followed by eight rounds of chemotherapy and 30 radiation treatments at Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo. The treatment was long and hard and the car rides home from Fargo were not fun, but she managed.

Now, more than a decade later, Lisa is a proud survivor.

Her follow-up care has been straightforward but essential. For the first five years after her treatment, she continued to have follow-up appointments with her oncologist at Roger Maris Cancer Center. Now, she sees her local doctor at Perham Health once a year for a mammogram and a preventive care visit.

While she initially adopted strict lifestyle changes after her diagnosis—carefully monitoring what she ate and the products she used, and worrying that the cancer was back with every ache or pain —Lisa has since found a more balanced approach.

“Thankfully my oncologist gave me great advice,” she said. “He told me ‘We want to hear from you if something isn’t getting better, but aches and pains are normal. Live your life.’” With two young children and a busy life, she focuses on being mindful but not obsessive, allowing herself to enjoy life.

Her experience with cancer has led her to become involved in cancer advocacy and support.

Lisa and her daughter at this year’s New York Mills High School volleyball night ‘Pink Out.’

Even before Lisa had cancer, she was involved with Relay for Life, an event organized by the American Cancer Society to raise funds for cancer research and patient services. During her treatment, community members in her small town of New York Mills formed a team for her and they continue to walk every year alongside Lisa. Recently, Lisa took on a leadership role as a survivor co-chair for Relay for Life of Otter Tail County.

Lisa also supports newly diagnosed cancer patients in her community by offering advice, a listening ear, and encouragement. “If I hear of a local person who’s been diagnosed, I’m willing to help however I can. When I was going through it, there were a lot of people that were there for me and they gave me a lot of advice and helped me through so I try to do the same,” explains Lisa.

For the last four years, Lisa has been a Patient Family Partner for Perham Health, a group that helps improve quality, safety and the patient/family experience at all points of care – clinic, hospital, out-patient, home care, and nursing home. Lisa has drawn on her breast cancer experience to provide insight and feedback on patient care.

“It’s been good to be able to share my experience and be able to tell them what worked for me and what didn’t. I’ve also learned a lot by being in the group. I’ve found it very interesting to learn how inner connected the departments are and how they work together with Fargo. I’ve really enjoyed being a Patient Family Partner,” said Lisa.

Through it all, Lisa credits her early detection and the prompt action of her medical team with her great outcome. “I am very grateful that they listened to me and took it seriously even though I was so young, and they didn’t wait to diagnose me. I would encourage every woman to listen to her body. If something doesn’t feel right, get it checked out,” Lisa said.

Perham Health Public Relations

About Perham Health 

Perham Health is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital with three primary care clinics, a 96-bed nursing home, home health care agency, adult day services, memory care assisted living, and senior housing.  The medical staff consists of 24 physicians, a nurse midwife, 14 advance practice clinicians, and three chiropractors. Visit perhamhealth.org to learn more.